第77章

Hendon retired to the place indicated- it was a recess sunk in the palace wall, with a stone bench in it- a shelter for sentinels in bad weather. He had hardly seated himself when some halberdiers, in charge of an officer, passed by. The officer saw him, halted his men, and commanded Hendon to come forth. He obeyed, and was promptly arrested as a suspicious character prowling within the precincts of the palace. Things began to look ugly. Poor Miles was going to explain, but the officer roughly silenced him, and ordered his men to disarm him and search him.

'God of his mercy grant that they find somewhat,' said poor Miles;'I have searched enow, and failed, yet is my need greater than theirs.'

Nothing was found but a document. The officer tore it open, and Hendon smiled when he recognized the 'pot-hooks' made by his lost little friend that black day at Hendon Hall. The officer's face grew dark as he read the English paragraph, and Miles blenched to the opposite color as he listened.

'Another new claimant of the crown!' cried the officer. 'Verily they breed like rabbits to-day. Seize the rascal, men, and see ye keep him fast while I convey this precious paper within and send it to the king.

He hurried away, leaving the prisoner in the grip of the halberdiers.

'Now is my evil luck ended at last,' muttered Hendon, 'for I shall dangle at a rope's end for a certainty, by reason of that bit of writing. And what will become of my poor lad!- ah, only the good God knoweth.'

By and by he saw the officer coming again, in a great hurry; so he plucked his courage together, purposing to meet his trouble as became a man. The officer ordered the men to loose the prisoner and return his sword to him; then bowed respectfully, and said:

'Please you, sir, to follow me.'

Hendon followed, saying to himself, 'An I were not travelling to death and judgment, and so must needs economize in sin, I would throttle this knave for his mock courtesy.'

The two traversed a populous court, and arrived at the grand entrance of the palace, where the officer, with another bow, delivered Hendon into the hands of a gorgeous official, who received him with profound respect and led him forward through a great hall, lined on both sides with rows of splendid flunkies (who made reverential obeisance as the two passed along, but fell into death-throes of silent laughter at our stately scarecrow the moment his back was turned), and up a broad staircase, among flocks of fine folk, and finally conducted him to a vast room, clove a passage for him through the assembled nobility of England, then made a bow, reminded him to take his hat off, and left him standing in the middle of the room, a mark for all eyes, for plenty of indignant frowns, and for a sufficiency of amused and derisive smiles.

Miles Hendon was entirely bewildered. There sat the young king, under a canopy of state, five steps away, with his head bent down and aside, speaking with a sort of human bird of paradise- a duke, maybe; Hendon observed to himself that it was hard enough to be sentenced to death in the full vigor of life, without having this peculiarly public humiliation added. He wished the king would hurry about it- some of the gaudy people near by were becoming pretty offensive. At this moment the king raised his head slightly and Hendon caught a good view of his face. The sight nearly took his breath away!

He stood gazing at the fair young face like one transfixed; then presently ejaculated:

'Lo, the lord of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows on his throne!'

He muttered some broken sentences, still gazing and marveling;then turned his eyes around and about, scanning the gorgeous throng and the splendid saloon, murmuring, 'But these are real- verily these are real- surely it is not a dream.'

He stared at the king again- and thought, 'Is it a dream?... or is he the veritable sovereign of England, and not the friendless poor Tom o' Bedlam I took him for- who shall solve me this riddle?'